April 19, 2026 08:09 pm (IST)
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Smoking in public places banned in Darjeeling
Kolkata, Aug 16 (IBNS): The local administration has strictly banned smoking in public places in West Bengal's hill town Darjeeling, starting from Monday, officials said.
Publishing a notice last week, the District Magistrate (DM) has directed the local administration to strictly maintain the rule and to take strict action against the rule-breakers.
"There is already an act namely- Cigarettes or Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 or COTPA, which prohibits advertisement or promotion of tobacco products and smoking in public places as well," an administrative official told IBNS.
"Anti-tobacco campaign has been started and local police have been directed to implement the rule here and slap 200-5000 rupees fine on the rule-breakers," he further added.
Darjeeling's adjoining hill city- Sikkim's capital Gangtok- has already implemented the rule strictly.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Image: Wikipedia Commons
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